Arrest likely in car thefts

Hillsboro police think they may have solved a series of recent car thefts and have submitted a suspect’s name to the county attorney for arrest and prosecution.

The latest vehicle to be stolen was one that already stolen five days earlier from Amanda Ratzlaff.

Her 2005 Chevrolet, parked in front of her residence in the 300 block of S. Main St., was reported stolen for the second time between 10 p.m. June 13 and 7:45 a.m. Thursday.

It later was recovered at the Hillsboro municipal pool.

The first time it was stolen, keys were left in the vehicle, and the thief kept the keys after abandoning the vehicle.

The second time, the vehicle was locked, the keys were not in it, and locks had been changed so that the stolen keys would not work.

Police reportedly received a tip about the case from a civilian after the second theft.

Previous car thefts in Hillsboro were reported May 9, 16, 17, 18, 21 and 23, with two thefts reported June 8. In all of those cases, keys were left in the cars, and the thief kept the keys. All but two of the cars were recovered in Hillsboro. The others were found in Wichita and Lawrence.